Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Courting trade, courting danger

The latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, due this week, is set to confirm the worst fears of the international community – Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and may be months from achieving its goal.

The grim reality that the Iranian government, a habitual sponsor of global terrorism, is pursuing an atomic arsenal, demands a robust response. If military action is to remain nothing more than a theoretical, last-ditch option, crippling sanctions must now be put in place. Some of Europe’s political leaders have already called for more restrictive measures against Iran. Yet, this rhetoric is rendered hollow by European businesses, which shamelessly continue to trade and even strengthen ties with a defiant and dangerous regime.

In short, Europe is being pulled in opposite directions. While the continent’s policymakers consider putting the brakes on the Iranian economy, business leaders are greasing the wheels of trade. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, warned two weeks ago that Iran’s failure to co-operate with the international community over its nuclear programme would lead to new sanctions.

This week’s IAEA report, which is expected to have details on Iran’s aggressive and advanced plan for nuclear armament, will leave little option but to trigger such measures. Incredibly though, on the same day that the IAEA is scheduled to publish its damning report, Berlin will play host to a pro-Iranian business conference: a group called European-Iranian Ventures has organised the conference in conjunction with the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses.

In a further demonstration of moral bankruptcy, the conference itself is titled, “Economic congress: Iranian businesswomen power.” Although gender segregation is accepted in Iran and women are routinely discriminated against, even stoned to death, a charade of female empowerment is hideously used as a pretext to generate profits.

Money over ethics

The lure of money over ethics is not confined to Germany. Only last month, Iran’s foreign minister described his country and the European Union as long-standing trade partners. The facts would appear to support his boast. Europe accounts for almost one-third of Iranian exports, with Iran the sixth-largest supplier of European energy. Given that the countdown to Iranian nuclear capability is ticking, it is imperative that European-Iranian compliance and partnership comes to an abrupt end. Iran’s support of terrorism against Western interests gives every reason to believe that the country’s regime would not hesitate to furnish jihadist cells with a nuclear-fuelled dirty bomb to cause untold havoc.

This nightmare scenario can be stopped, but now is the time for action and Europe has a critical role to play. Recent reports have indicated that Western powers are stepping up plans for a last-ditch military intervention to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. However, even Israel, which finds itself directly in Iran’s line of fire, has indicated that severe sanctions could prevent armed intervention.

Given the value that Iran has placed on its European trade relations, the determination of the EU will be critical in persuading the international community to approve truly robust measures. The European Union has already adopted restrictions on Iranian financial, insurance and transportation services; these have seriously curbed Iran’s ability to acquire the necessary tools for nuclear development. The EU must now summon the political will to push for international adoption of these measures through the United Nations, which has so far baulked at taking decisive action.

However, as the need for action becomes more pressing by the day, the EU’s position continues to be weakened by the apparent freedom with which some European businesses court Iranian trade. So long as German trade organisations are free to promote Iranian commerce, while Europe continues to consume Iranian energy, the European Union will find itself compromised as it looks to lead on Iran. Only a unified front of Europe’s political and business leaders can hope to spearhead a peaceful resolution to Iran’s patently violent intentions.

Christoph Heil is the director for European affairs at the Israel Project, which describes itself as “a non-profit educational organisation that provides factual information about Israel and the Middle East to the press, policymakers and the public”.

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Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.